Perhaps, you say, it's that evocative and fertile Biblical reference. You know, the whole Ishmael-illegitimate-and-exiled-son-of-Abraham-and-Hagar reference from Genesis: "And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."
But how many Americans really remember who Ishmael was without a footnote? (Of course, there are about a billion and a half Muslims in the world who know perfectly well who Ishmael was, being one of the prophets).
Anyway, my theory is that the Biblical reference plays a minor role in the power of the line. I think people remember that line because they can. It's short, to the point and damn near conversational. And it's also intriguing and mysterious right off the bat. It isn't someone named Maximillian saying, "Call me Max." This guy is not giving us his nickname so much as he's giving us some meaningful alias. He's acting familiar even as he's holding something back, a secret of some sort. That keeps us interested in this quirky guy. What's he got up his sleeve? Stay tuned.
Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness - Karel Dujardin
I recently started reading Moby Dick (only to have the book snatched away by my daughter who's working on the title scenes for a TV drama series in the UK).
ReplyDeleteI was struck by the vivid intensity of the prose - and the wonderful manic voice. Ishmael's 'madness' is wonderfully evoked.
I'll be reading your posts with interest.
Essie
Thanks for following along, Essie. I'm looking forward to the project. Reflecting on Ishmael's manic restlessness is turning out to be strangely meditative, helping me look at our mad and manic 21st century world through different eyes.
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